What is authentic…..about Authentic Imaging?

They must be real and they must be genuine.

As time has gone on clients, customers and consumers are not easily fooled. With the overwhelming use of rating systems, reviews and customer to customer interaction it is hard to bait and switch to sell a product or service.

As a company we pride ourselves on being authentic. From the projects we work on to the employees that make the wheels turn, we are authentic. Fake is unattractive and to a consumer a complete turn off.

Making a difference in marketing is only possible if a company refrains from using the “dangle the carrot of success” method to a consumer. Authentic Imaging takes pride in knowing that all our products and services have no hidden curtains or fancy magic tricks. We are not a large company, so the ease of customer communication and trust is vital.

We are all selling something, however the difference between just selling something to a customer and helping their business to grow are two completely different things. Results are the fuel that forces us to be better for our customers…. From website analytics to walk in referrals the only way to view these kinds of results is to be authentic.

“To reduce the digital investment risk, we must prove with results.” A lot of times when customers purchase a product or a service it may take days, months or even years for them to feel that their purchase was worthwhile. Our goal at Authentic Imaging is to give each of our clients a feeling from day 1 that their investment in their company was worth it. The best way to accomplish this is by making the whole experience authentic.

According to Geoff Beattie, Global Leader of Corporate Affairs, when people think of authentic companies, they think of: “A company that has values and morals and stands by them no matter what while honestly divulging its practices (flaws and all). In fact, the thing people most wanted was open and honest communications about products and services. And that finding was consistent around the world.”

For a brand or a company to be considered authentic, it needs to be perceived as reliable, respectful, and real.

In March of 2018 an article published on Marketingland.com focused on the idea that many brands are striving for authenticity as audiences turn a skeptical eye towards many different forms of advertising. “Consumers are experiencing a crisis of faith. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, today only 52 percent of global respondents trust businesses. The figures are even more dramatic in the US, where a mere 48 percent are similarly trusting, down from 58 percent in 2017.” “For example, almost half of social media users have called out brands, 60 percent of whom did so because of perceived dishonesty, relative to a mere 45 percent who complained about a bad product experience, according to a Sprout Social analysis last year. While brands can regain some credibility with a sincere apology, messaging missteps can seriously affect brand loyalty, making consumers reluctant to share the brand with friends.”
– marketingland.com

So what does all this mean…..? To truly be authentic you must gain and regain customer trust.

“Thanks to the internet, consumers are savvier than ever before. They want companies to respect their intelligence and alleviate their anxiety about misinformation by presenting themselves honestly and consistently.” -Marketingland.com

THE SECRET TO SUCCESSFUL CONTENT MARKETING – GREAT DESIGN

The marketing team at Apple was very excited. They were about to launch a new computer in the market. And boy, did the computer rock! It was faster, smarter, sleeker than anything else that the competitors were producing. They decided to market the computer by its features. They were sure, that when they did it, the consumers would love it.

Steve Jobs vetoed the campaign.

He insisted that they sell the computer based on the fact that it was transparent. The rest, as they say is history. It became one of the most successful campaigns in the history of marketing. And also, one of the most successful product launches.

The iMac would never have been successful if it was not a great computer and performed amazingly well. However, what sparked the initial interests of the buyers was the fact that it was trendiest, most amazing looking gadget that they had ever seen.

As this is true of marketing, so is it for content marketing.

CONTENT IS KING, BUT DESIGN IS QUEEN

It is extremely easy to run down design. Why do you need to have great design when your content is amazing?

Let us use another example. You meet someone for the first time. He is dressed smartly; he has great body language, and when he is introduced to him, he speaks well too. You take an instant liking to that person. You are then willing to listen to him patiently. Only then do you realize that he also has very interesting things to say.

On the other hand, if he had approached you wearing shabby, smelly clothes, rasping badly, would you have given him a fair ear?

Design is like the clothes a person wears, his appearance, his voice, even his body language. True, there are some people who get by without any of these, but the truly successful among them are rare.

Similarly, your website could be the best of its kind in the world with really terrific content, but if it is not well designed, no one will even take the time to know it.

DESIGN GIVES YOUR CONTENT PUNCH

Think of the most popular websites in the world. You will find that each one of them is amazingly designed. Coincidence? Hardly.

The thing is – design is that extra something that makes content more interesting. It is what adds flavor to your content, that special fizz that makes it more attractive, more readable.

A good design actually adds power to the content.

DESIGN KEEPS THINGS FRESH

If you see any movies from the eighties, the first things you will be struck by are the funny hairstyles and clothes. In fact, you may find it difficult to concentrate on the story.

Fashions change. Hairstyle, clothes, and even design. Naturally, if you come across a website that looks as if it was designed about ten years ago, you will find it difficult to concentrate on the content. You may also leave the page soon.

The thing is fashions change because of a reason. Our eyes get tired of seeing the same things over and over again. Hence, clothes and hairstyles that looked the ultimate in cool in the eighties look corny today.

Trends in design too changes over the yearsWhat seemed extremely classy last year may seem tacky today. It is therefore absolutely essential to keep the design of your website fresh and trendy.

That means that your website will be competing with a billion other sites for your reader’s attention. That’s some tough competition. You will, therefore, be advised to use every trick in your arsenal to catch some eyeballs. In this battle, design plays a crucial role.

Design can not only help you customers but also give you the opportunity to stand out from the crowd.

DESIGN GIVES YOU PERSONALITY

Is your website youthful or elegant, functional or esoteric? Does it cater to teenagers or middle-aged readers? The design of your website needs to reflect the personality of your prospective readers.

DESIGN MAKES CONTENT FRESH

Content is content. No matter how well it has been written. It is design that makes it exciting and fresh. Updating the design of your website can give it a new lease of life.

Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Amazon… they are all extremely successful websites. However, they too make the effort to change the whole look of their sites.

Why do they need to do that when they already have billions of hits, every day?

The answer is simple. This ensures that the people who visit their site do not get bored by them quickly. Even if your site is extremely successful, you need to look at getting a fresh new design, ever so often.

DESIGN IS FUNCTIONAL

This is what most people forget. Design plays a very important practical role in a website. Good design can help the reader go from one section to another. Lead them to new areas of interest and, of course, encourage them to explore more.

Every functional aspect of your website is tied down to design. There is no point in having many links and buttons if they are not well designed.

Sometimes a design may look visually amazing but may not perform practically. That is BAD DESIGN. Do not let your designers fool you into thinking that aesthetics should be more important than functionality. Good design is one in which both blend seamlessly.

DESIGN INSPIRES LOYALTY

So, you have managed to generate traffic in your website. How do you ensure that the people who are visiting your website will come back again and again?

Yes, you guessed it right, with design.

Among the many factors that inspire brand loyalty, design is the most important. It is also the thing that people recall the most about a website.

The ideal position would be – when a visitor to your website recognizes your site by just a glance.

GIVE YOUR CONTENT WHAT IT DESERVES – GREAT DESIGN

The simple fact is, if your website does not have great design, you are being unjust to your content. Great content deserves great design.

Skype Goes Down September 21 2015

If you are a Skype users, you might have started your day with a rude awakening. Like most people you end up restarting your computer or re-installing Skype or clicked on “Can’t access your account?”

Skype, a Microsoft’s acquisition has been down for an unknown amount of time causing 40% of the world’s online video telecommunication to come to a halt. Skype officials have not given any details of the issue.